The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2024-25 season with much uncertainty, ending with their third straight season without a postseason. This season, points-wise, and regarding their place in the playoff picture, was the worst of the last three seasons.
Is it time to blow it all up and start fresh to give their two franchise players another shot at a Stanley Cup before their final curtain call? Wouldn’t it be better to do it now, rather than later?
It’s time to start over?
The Penguins have been chasing the playoffs for the last three seasons, and have gotten worse with each go-around. The main storyline is that their two stars are reaching the twilight of their career, and the clock is about to strike midnight.
Captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are rapidly reaching the end of their careers, and their storybook ending might be a bit of a cliffhanger. What could have been if the Penguins decided to rebuild for their final run?
How would the Penguins do it?
Looking at the roster and their contracts, most of this team is under a deal through the end of next season. There is still one more chance to try it with the current group. But with the oldest roster, at an average age of 30.9 years, is it worth it to retain these aging players who will not supplement the future?
This is a tricky situation, as the Penguins have to rebuild in a very short amount of time. Crosby is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season, and Malkin’s deal expires at the end of next season. Malkin may not be able to enjoy the end of his storied career if he does not sign one more year on, but Crosby can potentially have one more shot at lifting Lord Stanley. When these contracts expire, the road may end for the two players who brought three of the franchise’s five Stanley Cups.
A saving grace for the Penguins is this upcoming NHL Entry Draft in June, where they have two first-round picks via the New York Rangers that are top-13 protected. The hope is that the Rangers fall past the 13th pick, but if not, the Penguins get a first-rounder in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Either way, that is a great way to jumpstart this potential rebuild.